The American Axis: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the Rise of the Third Reich [Paperback]

Max Wallace (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2004

Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh have long been exalted as two of the greatest American icons of the twentieth century. Now award-winning journalist Max Wallace uncovers groundbreaking and astonishing revelations about the poisonous effect these two so-called American heroes had on Western democracy and how the two of them---acting in league with the Nazis---almost brought democratic Europe to the verge of extinction.

With unprecedented access to declassified FBI and military intelligence files, Wallace reveals how the close friendship and ideological bond between automotive pioneer Ford and aviator Lindbergh culminated in an abuse of power that helped strengthen Hitler's regime and undermined the Allied war effort.

Devastating, thoroughly researched, and engagingly written, The American Axis is not only a mesmerizing, cautionary tale, but a compelling historical exposé.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although Wallace (Who Killed Kurt Cobain?) is a recipient of Rolling Stone's Award for Investigative Journalism and appears to have done much primary research, he delivers a highly speculative rehash of material handled much better in A. Scott Berg's Lindbergh, Robert Lacey's Ford: The Man and the Machine and such seminal studies as Charles Higham's American Swastika. Wallace tries and fails to sensationalize well-known facts about the parochial American fifth column of the late 1930s and early '40s, a bungling movement of which Ford and Lindbergh were among the most public faces. Wallace sees a conspiracy in what he presents as Ford's pro-Nazi partnership with Lindbergh: a dark and powerful alliance designed to hinder the Allies at every turn. In fact, the two men were far more naive than effectual in their attempts to prop up American isolationism before Pearl Harbor. And Lindbergh, who counted Harry Guggenheim among his closest friends, found Ford's hatred of Jews repugnant. Once war was declared, both Lindbergh and Ford helped the Allied effort. Lindbergh helped develop the Corsair and later, as a "civilian observer," flew more than 25 combat missions over the South Pacific. At the same time, Ford (with Lindbergh's help, and after a few false starts) became the leading manufacturer of the B-24 bomber. Were Ford and Lindbergh half-witted dupes of Nazi propaganda before the war? Undoubtedly. Were they Nazi agents either before or after the start of hostilities? Wallace fails to make the case. 13 photos.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"The American Axis provides insightful lessons about how the twin spectacles of power and hate operated in a previous generation."
--The Washington Post

"What a drama! Two of the most popular figures in 20th century America—Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh—pitted against a third—Franklin Delano Roosevelt—over what to do about Adolf Hitler. Max Wallace reminds us that the destiny of the republic hung in the balance in the Great Debate of 1940-41."
--Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., author of The Age of Roosevelt and (with Robert F. Kennedy) Thirteen Days

"A tireless excavation of the dark facts surrounding Ford and Lindbergh's relationship with the Third Reich. Wallace's extensive investigation probes three and four layers deeper than others, pulls no punches, names names, and creates a powerful historical document."
--Edwin Black, author of IBM and the Holocaust

"Eye-opening . . . A finely wrought, careful, and utterly damning case that ought to prompt a widespread reevaluation of both Ford and Lindbergh."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A seminal book, groundbreaking in its documentation of American celebrity collaboration with the Third Reich. Max Wallace exposes Henry Ford as an amoral business thug who promoted anti-Semitism and Nazism for profit. Lindbergh's reputation is utterly shredded by the careful analysis of newly released classified files, which expose him as a bigot and Hitler's willing pawn. Wallace rebuts line by line the Ford Company's recent attempts to sanitize its Nazi past and skewers corporate spin with devastating documentation from Ford's own files. The American Axis is that rare work of balance: biography, scholarship, and celebrity scandal. My pick for the most powerful book of the year."
--John Loftus, author of The Secret War Against the Jews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (November 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312335318
• ISBN-13: 978-0312335311
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,636,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dubya's Grandpa was a Nazi, October 20, 2003

By 

Robin Kellin (Madison, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Axis: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the Rise of the Third Reich (Hardcover)

This book is about the Nazi affiliations of Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh and that material is indeed fascinating. But the part of the book that really blew me away was the revelation that George W. Bush's grandfather Prescott Bush was a Nazi whose assets were seized by the US government after Pearl Harbor for Trading With the Enemy and helping Nazi front companies launder money. A former US government Nazi War Crimes prosecutor is quoted in this book as saying, "The fortune that put two members of the Bush family in the White House can be traced directly to the Third Reich." I remember during the first George Bush presidential campaign when a whole bunch of Nazis were exposed by USA Today as working on Bush's campaign and forced to resign. More recently, Vanity Fair exposed the close ties between the Bush family and the Bin Laden family. It's time for the American media to start probing a little deeper into the Bush dynasty so that voters can evaluate the skeletons in Dubya's closet before November, 2004.

18 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly written, throughly documented, history, June 10, 2006

By 

M. V. Sanderford (Danville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Axis: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the Rise of the Third Reich (Paperback)

I cannot BELIEVE the negative reviews that this book has received on this site - and you shouldn't either! This is one of the most carefully researched, extensively footnoted, beautifully written, books on this subject ever published. The sources include entries from Lindbergh's journal, Lindbergh's speeches, FBI files, letters from German archives, Ford company records, and many other primary sources. Every assertion of fact is backed up with unimpeachable documentation. This is not in any way a hatchet job. Wallace goes out of his way to tell us what we do not know for sure, and to give his subjects the benefit of the doubt whenever possible.
But, even so, what emerges is a damning portrait of Ford and Lindbergh. The degree of responsibility for the success of the Third Reich that must be borne by these two men will astonish you. The author, using polls from the time, deftly demolishes the utterly bogus argument that these two men were simply reflecting the prevailing attitudes of the majority of Americans, as anyone who had actually read the book would know.
When Wallace, near the end of the book, expands his scope to address the reasons such admittedly poorly educated (and in Lindbergh's case, incredibly naïve and, in my opinion, rather stupid) individuals were able to have such influence over the events of the 1930's and 1940's, he is addressing the deeper issues that lie behind the events he has described - such as humanity's apparent need for heroes, and those heroes' concomitant responsibility to think, speak, and act humanely and honorably. Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford brought great harm to humanity, most especially to the Jews, during their years on the world stage. They should be held responsible for it.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Damning, March 11, 2005

By 

History buff (Fort Lauderdale) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Axis: Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and the Rise of the Third Reich (Paperback)

This book is a very damning look at Ford and Lindbergh, which reveals them both as highly flawed icons who did considerable damage to their country through their flirtation with fascism,. The author, who comes off as quite objective, is careful to emphasize that neither man was a Nazi or a traitor, but because of their status as heroes, they influenced a lot of others into Hitler's camp.

The great American historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. praises this book on the back cover, so i am reasonably sure that it stands up to acdemic scrutiny.